A validated capillary electrophoresis method for simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and atorvastatin in pharmaceutical formulations

AbstractA simple, precise, and sensitive capillary electrophoresis technique coupled with a diode array detector has been developed for the separation and simultaneous determination of ezetimibe and atorvastatin in pharmaceutical formulations. Separation of both ezetimibe and atorvastatin was achieved utilizing fused silica capillary (58cm×75μm ID) and background electrolyte solution that consisted of phosphate buffer (2.5mM, pH 6.7): methanol (70:30 v/v). The proposed method was validated by testing its specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, and detection limit/quantitation limit values. The method was linear over the range 2.5–50μg/ml for ezetimibe (r=0.9992) and 1–100μg/ml for atorvastatin (r=0.9999). Within-day and between-day RSD for ezetimibe and atorvastatin were ⩽5.6% and ⩽2.9%, respectively. The detection limit was 0.07μg/ml for ezetimibe and 0.06μg/ml for atorvastatin. The validated method was successfully employed for the determination of ezetimibe and atorvastatin in tablets with no interfering peaks from common pharmaceutical excipients. The percentage recoveries of the two drugs from their tablets were 99.80±1.76 and 100.19±1.83, respectively

Genetic network programming with reinforcement learning and optimal search component : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Sciences at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

This thesis presents ways of improving the genetic composition, structure and learning strategies for a graph-based evolutionary algorithm, called Genetic Networking Programming with Reinforcement Learning (GNP-RL), particularly when working with multi-agent and dynamic environments. GNP-RL is an improvement over Genetic Programming, allowing for the concise representation of solutions in terms of a networked graph structure and uses RL to further refine the graph solutions. This work has improved GNP-RL by combining three new techniques: Firstly, it has added a reward and punishment scheme as part of its learning strategy that supports constraint conformance, allowing for a more adaptive training of the agent, so that it can learn how to avoid unwanted situations more effectively. Secondly, an optimal search algorithm has been combined in the GNP-RL core to get an accurate analysis of the exploratory environment. Thirdly, a task prioritization technique has been added to the agent’s learning by giving promotional rewards, so they are trained on how to take priority into account when performing tasks. In this thesis, we applied the improved algorithm to the Tile World benchmarking testbed, which is considered as one of the standard complex problems in this domain, having only a sparse training set. Our experiment results show that the proposed algorithm is superior than the best existing variant of the GNP-RL algorithm [1]. We have achieved 86.66% test accuracy on the standard benchmarking dataset [2]. In addition, we have created another benchmarking dataset, similar in complexity to the one proposed in [1], to test the proposed algorithms further, where it achieved a test accuracy of 96.66%; that is 33.66% more accurate

The need for national medical licensing examination in Saudi Arabia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Medical education in Saudi Arabia is facing multiple challenges, including the rapid increase in the number of medical schools over a short period of time, the influx of foreign medical graduates to work in Saudi Arabia, the award of scholarships to hundreds of students to study medicine in various countries, and the absence of published national guidelines for minimal acceptable competencies of a medical graduate.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>We are arguing for the need for a Saudi national medical licensing examination that consists of two parts: Part I (Written) which tests the basic science and clinical knowledge and Part II (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) which tests the clinical skills and attitudes. We propose this examination to be mandated as a licensure requirement for practicing medicine in Saudi Arabia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The driving and hindering forces as well as the strengths and weaknesses of implementing the licensing examination are discussed in details in this debate.</p

Therapeutic approaches in hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis: A literature review of available therapies and case series

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HGAP) is the third most common etiology of acute pancreatitis. HGAP can be attributed to genetic disturbances in triglyceride metabolism or multiple secondary causes. Here, we presented three cases for HGAP and explored different therapeutic approaches for treating HGAP. A case series of three patients who presented with HGAP and underwent different therapeutic approaches was conducted. The first patient was a 37-year-old male who presented with nonsevere HGAP; he was treated with conservative therapy with insulin and heparin infusion, which resulted in clinical and laboratory improvement. The second patient was a 64-year-old male with human immunodeficiency virus on multiple highly active antiretroviral therapy. He presented with severe HGAP and multiorgan failure. After initiation of therapeutic plasma exchange, his HGAP resolved. The third patient was a 28-year-old male who presented with recurrent episodes of HGAP; his conservative therapy failed and was eventually escalated to therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). HGAP can be attributed to genetic disturbances of lipid or secondary etiologies. A nonsevere form of HGAP can be managed with conventional therapy including insulin and heparin; however, severe HGAP may require TPE

Analytical Study for the Charge-Transfer Complexes of Rosuvastatin Calcium with π-Acceptors

molecule

Pioglitazone Ameliorates Hippocampal Neurodegeneration, Disturbances in Glucose Metabolism and AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathways in Pentyelenetetrazole-Kindled Mice

Disturbance of glucose metabolism, nerve growth factor (NGF) and m-TOR signaling have been associated with the pathophysiology of epilepsy. Pioglitazone (PGZ) is an anti-diabetic drug that shows a protective effect in neurodegenerative diseases including epilepsy; however, its exact mechanism is not fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the potential neuroprotective effect of PGZ in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindled seizure in mice. Swiss male albino mice were randomly distributed into four groups, each having six mice. Group 1 was considered the control. Epilepsy was induced by PTZ (35 mg/kg i.p.) thrice a week for a total of 15 injections in all other groups. Group 2 was considered the untreated PTZ group while Group 3 and Group 4 were treated by PGZ prior to PTZ injection at two dose levels (5 and 10 mg/kg p.o., respectively). Seizure activity was evaluated after each PTZ injection according to the Fischer and Kittner scoring system. At the end of the experiment, animals were sacrificed under deep anesthesia and the hippocampus was isolated for analysis of glucose transporters by RT-PCR, nerve growth factor (NGF) by ELISA and mTOR by western blotting, in addition to histopathological investigation. The PTZ-treated group showed a significant rise in seizure score, NGF and m-TOR hyperactivation, along with histological abnormalities compared to the control group. Treatment with PGZ demonstrated a significant decrease in NGF, seizure score, m-TOR, GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 in comparison to the PTZ group. In addition, improvement of histological features was observed in both PGZ treated groups. These findings suggest that PGZ provides its neuroprotective effect through modulating m-TOR signaling, glucose metabolism and NGF levels

Predicting the Consistency of Pituitary Macroadenomas: The Utility of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Measurements for Surgical Planning

Understanding the consistency of pituitary macroadenomas is crucial for neurosurgeons planning surgery. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the utility of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) as non-invasive imaging modalities for predicting the consistency of pituitary macroadenomas. This could contribute to appropriate surgical planning and therefore reduce the likelihood of incomplete resections. The study included 45 patients with pathologically confirmed pituitary macroadenomas. Conventional MRI sequences, DWIs, ADC maps, and pre- and post-contrast MRIs were performed. Two neuroradiologists assessed all of the images. Neurosurgeons assessed the consistency of the tumor macroscopically, and histopathologists examined it microscopically. The MRI findings were compared with postoperative data. According to the operative data, macroadenomas were divided into the two following categories based on their consistency: aspirable (n = 27) and non-aspirable tumors (n = 18). A statistically significant difference in DWI findings was found when comparing macroadenomas of different consistencies (p −3 mm2/s, the ADC showed a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 75% for the detection of non-aspirable macroadenomas (AUC, 0.946). The study concluded that DWI should be routinely performed in conjunction with ADC measurements in the preoperative evaluation of pituitary macroadenomas. This approach may aid in surgical planning, ensure that appropriate techniques are utilized, and reduce the risk of incomplete resection

Phytoconstituents of Butterbur (P. japonicus), their metabolic pathway and ability to modulate bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signaling

ABSTRACTA library of natural sesquiterpene and phenolic compounds from Petasites japonicus are being investigated through different computational techniques to study their ability to target BMP. Lipinski rule, ADMET, molecular docking studies and metabolism were used to reach promising candidates with proposed activity against BMP. Four sesquiterpenes (kablicin, petisinol, bakkenolide D and bakkenolide IIIa) and four phenolic compounds exhibited drug-like properties (caffeic acid, petasiphenol, petasitesin A and petasitesin B), so they deserve further clinical exploration as bone loss modulators. The phenolic compounds specially fukinolic acid and petasiphenol showed lower binding energy with both BMPRIA and BMPRII than Icariin agonist and sesquiterpenes. Bakkenolide IIIa showed dual potential on both BMPRIA and BMPRII with binding energies equal – 7.82 and – 9.9 Kcal/mol respectively, which is more better score than Betulinic acid agonist. This research is focusing on plant-human interactions and exploring the ability of plant constituents to modulate a human protein such as BMP

Violence towards healthcare workers: A study conducted in Abha City, Saudi Arabia

Background: Workplace violence in healthcare settings is a common, but an underreported problem that has been largely ignored. Violence against healthcare workers can have an adverse effect on their performance outcomes and thus influence patients' health and satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and types of violence against healthcare workers in a Saudi Arabian city. It was also to identify the risk factors of violence against healthcare workers and to investigate the possible consequences of such behavior. Materials and Methods: In Abha city, there are two government hospitals and ten primary healthcare centers. All healthcare workers in these healthcare institutions including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians or specialists, radiologists, social workers, and psychologists were eligible to participate in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 738 healthcare workers responded (92% response rate). The mean age was 31 ± 7.7 years (range 21–60) and the majority (64.9%) were females and 69.4% were Saudis. More than half (57.5%) had experienced some workplace violence at least once. Verbal assaults and slaps were the most common form of workplace-related violence (58%). Conclusions: Violence against healthcare workers in Abha city is more common, especially against nurses. The reasons need to be explored in order to set and develop policies, regulations and interventions to prevent violence against workers